Wrong Planet » Vaccines

In a Different Key – Interview with John Donvan and Caren Zucker

Alex Plank — Wed, 20 Jul 2016 20:21:52 +0000

In Autism Talk TV Ep. 26, I speak with authors John Donvan and Caren Zucker about their bestselling book on the history of autism, In a Different Key: The Story of Autism. In addition to being authors, Donvan and Zucker have worked for ABC News, where Donvan is an Emmy award winning correspondent and Zucker is a Peabody award winning producer.

We discuss the inspirational parts of their book as well as the troubling periods of autism history and the shocking discoveries they made about Hans Asperger. We also talk about LSD experiments involving autistics. Their book is extensive and covers the politics and history of autism in over 500 pages. It even includes a chapter about me, your favorite autism webmaster and tv personality, Alex Plank.

Additionally, they cover the first person diagnosed with autism, Donald Triplett, in great detail.
This book is incredibly fascinating to read and I highly recommend that you buy a copy if you haven’t read it already.

Donvan and Zucker are currently enjoying touring the country to promote their book and educate individuals about their discoveries. I recently had the good fortune to run into them at the ASA conference in New Orleans where they delivered a keynote together.

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Review and Video: Autism’s False Prophets by Dr. Paul Offit

Alex Plank — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:16:06 +0000

Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Medicine, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure is a well-referenced, historical work that explains the dangerous and unnecessary controversies that have put the lives of autistic children at risk. Offit sets up his book by explaining how he has become a major player in the field of immunology. He then explores the process by which the autism/vaccine controversy has been given so much attention. He describes how parents and physicians worked together to create treatments that when put under scientific scrutiny, have no real efficacy.

Offit sets the tone of the book by showing how secretin therapy and facilitated communication were exposed as scams. He then debunks Dr. Wakefield’s study of the MMR vaccine and employs the scientific method to show how thimerosal and other mercury-based theories have no relevance.

Read on for more about the book and a video with author Dr. Paul Offit!
At the end of the book, Offit includes an epilogue focusing on Jenny McCarthy’s impact on the community through her books and television appearances. He is clear to point out that her “Mommy Instinct” does not make her an immunologist, psychologist, pediatrician or scientist. For those who believe that following the scientific method is the only way to come to an understanding about autism than Offit presents an important work that should be praised for exposing those who mislead the public and the opportunism of the lawyers, journalists, celebrities, and politicians who support them. Offit scientifically dismisses the sub-group of parents, journalists, researchers and activists that believe they know what is causing autism and how to cure it.

Paul A. Offit, M.D. is the chief of Infectious Diseases and the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit has received the Jonas Salk Award from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the Gold Medal from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Stanley A. Plotkin Award in Vaccinology from the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. He will donate all royalties from sales of this book to autism research.

Purchase Autism’s False Prophets at Amazon.com

Review by Dana Commandatore, mother to a wonderful autistic boy.

Video:

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X-Files Star Amanda Peet Speaks Out Against Anti-Vaccine Autism Groups

Alex Plank — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:25:33 +0000

X-Files: I Want to Believe star Amanda Peet has spoken out against the “fringe medical groups and parent advocacy groups who claim that vaccines cause autism, or that they have too many “toxins,” or “viral challenges” for our tiny babies’ bodies to handle.” In an article in Cookie Magazine, Peet is quoted saying “Frankly, I feel that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are parasites.”

Peet’s comments are consistent with the medical community’s growing concern that parents will not vaccinate their children out of a false fear that such vaccinations could cause Autism. Scientific studies have repeatedly found no link between vaccines and Autism and parents’ fears to vaccinate their children are leading to outbreaks in the United States. Thiomersal, which contains mercury, was largely removed from vaccines a couple of years ago and the rate of autism diagnoses has continued to increase.

Read on for more information and links.
Peet’s comments are significant because she is one of the first celebrities to speak out against the pseudoscientific approach taken by a number of autism organizations. Much like the Scientology cult, these anti-vaccine fringe groups heavily rely on celebrity endorsements to convince individuals to get on board. ‘Stars’ such as Jenny McCarthy are responsible for much of the press coverage given to these fringe autism groups.

Peet responded to an organized campaign of letter writing spurred by a blog sympathetic to the anti-vaccine movement. She apologized for using the term parasite, although she did not back down from her denouncement of anti-vaccine groups’ pseudoscientific claims. In her response, Peet states that “it’s irresponsible to suggest that virtually the entire medical community, and the CDC, and the American Academy of Pediatrics are behind a massive cover-up about vaccine safety.”

Peet points out that due to fears of vaccines, there have been outbreaks of deadly diseases such as measles in the United States. How many outbreaks will it take before these fringe groups realize exactly the extent to which their campaigns of fear are irresponsible and dangerous to public safety?

Hopefully more celebrities will speak out in defense of public health before enough people begin dying from cured diseases that the public realizes just how dangerous it is not to vaccinate our children.

Article in Cookie Magazine
Amanda Peet’s response

Update: I found Salon article covering the incident.

Autistic blogger Alex Plank owns, runs, and develops WrongPlanet.net, the online resource and community for Autism.

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Study rules out vaccines as causes of autism

Alex Plank — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:01:46 +0000

Pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) like autism and Asperger Syndrome have been on the rise for years. Measles Mumps Rubella (MMR) vaccines and thimerosal-containing vaccines (which are approximately 50 percent ethylmercury) have been suggested as possible causes. A new McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) study, published in the scientific journal Pediatrics, assessed the link between childhood immunizations and PDD in 28,000 Quebec children and finally clears MMR vaccines and thimerosal-containing immunizations as risk factors.
“There is no relationship between the level of exposure to MMR vaccines and thimerosal-containing vaccines and rates of autism,” says Dr. Eric Fombonne, Director of Pediatric Psychiatry at The Montreal Children’s Hospital of the MUHC and lead investigator of the new study. Thimerosal was used to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination in the manufacture of various vaccines until its elimination from vaccine formulas in 1996 in Quebec. “According to our data, the incidence of autism was higher in children who were vaccinated after thimerosal was eliminated from vaccines,” says Dr. Fombonne.

“In the past, concern about a potential link between MMR vaccinations and autism led some parents to take the drastic step of refusing to inoculate their children against dangerous childhood diseases like measles,” says Dr. Fombonne. “This action resulted in resurgence of the measles, which caused the deaths of several young children in Europe.” Dr. Fombonne’s study indicates that autism rates continued to increase even with reductions in the use of MMR vaccinations. “We hopes this study will finally put to rest the pervasive belief linking vaccines with developmental diseases like autism,” says Dr. Fombonne.

Autism is a neuropsychiatry disorder that impairs a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others. The prevalence is about 65 cases per 10,000 people (about 1 child in 155) making autism one of the most common childhood disorders. The Psychiatry Department at The Montreal Children’s Hospital sees about 350 new cases of autism each year. However, Dr. Fombonne stresses that there is no demonstrated autism epidemic. He attributes the rise in autism rates to a broader definition of autism and greater awareness of the disorder.

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Area group aims to raise awareness of mercury risks

Alex Plank — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 09:08:00 +0000

Jaiden.net reports: I’m quoted in this article so I suppose I should post it. A free subscription is required to read it online, however, I have provided the article in its entirety below:

Several local families have banded together to purchase three billboards to educate people about dangers they believe are related to thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used for many years in vaccines.
A known neurotoxin, thimerosal has been used as a preservative since the 1930s, and some believes children exposed t. . .

Link to article
I’m quoted in this article so I suppose I should post it. A free subscription is required to read it online, however, I have provided the article in its entirety below:

Several local families have banded together to purchase three billboards to educate people about dangers they believe are related to thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used for many years in vaccines.
A known neurotoxin, thimerosal has been used as a preservative since the 1930s, and some believes children exposed to it may suffer language and speech delays, as well as neuro-developmental disorders such as autism.
“We are not anti-vaccine,” said Joy Majzel, spokeswoman for the Holland chapter of Unlocking Autism, a national organization to raise awareness about autism. “We want people to be aware that mercury is being used as a preservative in some vaccines and in most flu shots.”
The billboards, located in Holland, Hudsonville and Grand Rapids, are part of the organization’s national campaign to encourage parents to ask for thimerosal-free flu shots and vaccinations.
Another parent, John Heemstra of Holland, said the connection between mercury and autism, although not certain, is plausible.
“What I am certain of is that mercury is a known neurotoxin, is bioaccumulative (it builds up in your body), and shouldn’t be used as a preservative, especially in things that get injected directly into the body,” said Heemstra, whose 5-year-old son, Jaiden, was diagnosed with autism in 2003. “I’m also certain more research needs to be done.”
Environmental Protection Agency standards allow one microgram of mercury per every 22 pounds of body weight. However, a pediatric flu shot may contain 12.5 micrograms of mercury per vaccination, Majzel said.
Majzel said her 4-year-old daughter, Jenna, was diagnosed with both mercury toxicity and autism.
“It’s indisputable that mercury is a neurotoxin and I feel that we shouldn’t give our kids something we know is toxic,” said Majzel, who taught at West Ottawa High School until 2004, but now stays home to care for Jenna.
Both the Allegan and Ottawa county health departments offer thimerasol-free vaccines, and Laurie Vandezande, a nurse with the Allegan County Health Department, said such vaccines are widely available for all immunizations except the flu shot. She said it is important for parents not to lose sight of the importance of getting children immunized against dangerous childhood diseases.
“It’s really important that children get vaccinated,” said Laurie Vandezande, a nurse with Allegan County Health Department. “The risk from the disease is greater than any risk or perceived risk from the preservative in the vaccination.”
In May 2004, the Institute of Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health, concluded there was no proven link between autism and thimerosal in vaccines. However, critics maintain that study is flawed because it relied on European studies in which children received smaller doses of the toxin than American children.
“Many parents are incorrectly told that virtually all mercury has been removed from U.S. childhood vaccinations by their pediatricians. There is one glaring exception — the flu shot,” Majzel said. “Most of the pediatric flu vaccine contains 12.5 micrograms of mercury per dose and two of these are recommended.”
Gary Coller, a Zeeland physician said he felt there is a connection between mercury and the increase in children diagnosed with autism.
“Mercury is considered one of the most toxic elements on earth,” said Coller, who is board certified in clinical metal toxicology. “Recommendations to limit the quantity of fish consumed from the Great Lakes have been made to limit exposure to mercury. Yet, many find it defensible to inject infants, children, pregnant women and elderly adults — those with the most compromised immune systems — with immunization containing mercury.
“There are safer alternatives,” he said.
Coller has been working with legislators to outlaw mercury from vaccinations in Michigan. When California outlawed the use of mercury-based vaccinations the incidents of autism spectrum diagnoses dropped, Coller said.
“Autism is one of the fastest growing diagnoses within the field of special education,” said Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland. “The impact this has had on families and on our educational system is one that should make us at least question why.”
Kuipers has drafted legislation to ban the use of thimerosal in vaccines in Michigan and is planning to introduce it shortly.
If the legislation passed, Michigan would join Missouri, California, Iowa, Illinois, New York, and Delaware who have banned the use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines.

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The Age of Autism: March of the experts

Alex Plank — Fri, 19 Aug 2005 13:18:32 +0000

Jaiden.net reports: “The news that the first child diagnosed with autism got better after medical treatment — while leading experts didn`t make the connection — suggests how research and reality have been distorted for decades.”

Link to article

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In mercury/autism debate, science and logic go out the window…

Alex Plank — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 10:01:28 +0000

Jaiden.net reports: I think you could quite easily teach a class on the logical fallacies committed in the autism/mercury debate – fallacies committed quite equally on both sides.

Hopefully the result of this increased publicity is some decent research by those with the means to do it right (read: NIH). Maybe then we could finally get on with it (regardless of the outcome of said research).

For those who read Jaiden.net and are curious about my own thought. . .

Link to article
I think you could quite easily teach a class on the logical fallacies committed in the autism/mercury debate – fallacies committed quite equally on both sides.

For those who read Jaiden.net and are curious about my own thoughts on this matter, well, maybe I should write up something more substancial… but the short of is that I think the mercury/autism connection is biologically plausible (as the IOM said in 2003 – though their scope was limited to the mercury-laden vaccines of the 1990s [and early 2000s] – not the multitude of other mercury sources) but certainly not proven. Is there a corrupt collaboration between government and certain industries? Of course. But as far as I know, that is not news to anyone… What makes me grievously sad – but certainly not surprised – is that science and reason (logic) play only a small, irrelevant part in this play. It’s likely a jury that will make the final decision in this circus of pseudoscience… and that scares that crap out of me.

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. talks about autism/mercury

Alex Plank — Thu, 16 Jun 2005 11:16:47 +0000

Jaiden.net reports: Posted today (despite the date at the bottom of the article) at RollingStone.com:

Even for scientists and doctors accustomed to confronting issues of life and death, the findings were frightening. “You can play with this all you want,” Dr. Bill Weil, a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the group. The results “are statistically significant.” Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado whose grandson had been born early on the morning of the meeting’s first day, was even more alarmed. “My gut feeling?” he said. “Forgive this personal comment — I do not want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccin. . .

Link to article
Posted today (despite the date at the bottom of the article) at RollingStone.com:

Even for scientists and doctors accustomed to confronting issues of life and death, the findings were frightening. “You can play with this all you want,” Dr. Bill Weil, a consultant for the American Academy of Pediatrics, told the group. The results “are statistically significant.” Dr. Richard Johnston, an immunologist and pediatrician from the University of Colorado whose grandson had been born early on the morning of the meeting’s first day, was even more alarmed. “My gut feeling?” he said. “Forgive this personal comment — I do not want my grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what is going on.”

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The Age of Autism: Mercury ascending

Alex Plank — Tue, 31 May 2005 13:21:10 +0000

Jaiden.net reports: “A year ago, the prestigious Institute of Medicine slammed the door on the idea that mercury in vaccines bore any relation to autism.”

Link to article

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The Age of Autism: Absence of evidence

Alex Plank — Mon, 30 May 2005 15:10:20 +0000

Jaiden.net reports: “After several weeks of looking, the prevalence of autism among the central Pennsylvania Amish still appears remarkably low, and the few cases I have found suggest an ominous pattern.”

Link to article

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